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US President Donald Trump has made it clear that the decision over the next steps in Gaza rests with Israel, effectively offering tacit support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to escalate the bombardment in the conflict-ravaged Palestinian territory.
While many European and Arab governments urged Netanyahu on Friday to reconsider his strategy to “take control” of Gaza City, Trump has given the Israeli leader broad discretion—even if this risks international disapproval.
Nearly two years into a brutal conflict that escalated with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, Israel’s security cabinet recently endorsed Netanyahu’s plan to “defeat” Hamas.
When asked earlier in the week whether he could support such a plan, Trump stated at the White House that his priority was to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza to alleviate Palestinian suffering. “As far as the rest of it, I really can’t say—that’s going to be pretty much up to Israel,” he said.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed this stance, telling Catholic TV network EWTN that “ultimately, what Israel needs to do for Israel’s security will be determined by Israel.”
These remarks reveal the US strategy since talks between Israel and Hamas over a ceasefire collapsed: Washington has largely aligned with Israel’s approach following a recent visit by US envoy Steve Witkoff, who met Netanyahu last week. While the details remain undisclosed, it is likely Witkoff was briefed on Israel’s operational plans.
Though Washington has stepped up pressure on Israel to increase humanitarian aid flows into Gaza, it maintains that all Israeli hostages held by Hamas—whether alive or dead—must be released, and demands the complete destruction of the militant group.
“Our objectives are clear,” US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday in talks with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. “We want to ensure Hamas can never again attack innocent Israeli civilians, and that has to come through the eradication of Hamas.”
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has consistently offered unwavering support to Israel while advocating for improved humanitarian conditions. He appeared to abandon efforts to broker a ceasefire after repeated failed negotiations, including a collapse of talks last month in Doha when Hamas rejected a hostage release deal.
Hamas still holds 49 Israeli hostages abducted during the October 2023 assault, 27 of whom are presumed dead.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, known for his provocative statements, criticised all opposition to Israel’s Gaza plans on social media. “So Israel is expected to surrender to Hamas & feed them even though Israeli hostages are being starved?” he wrote, comparing criticism from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to appeasing Nazis by dropping them food.
Rubio lamented the global media’s overwhelming focus on the Palestinian humanitarian crisis while what he described as the plight of Israeli hostages received far less attention. “As long as Hamas exists, particularly as an armed organisation, there will never be peace in Gaza,” he said.
Washington has recently rebuked international moves, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, to recognise a Palestinian state, warning that such actions encourage Hamas to refuse concessions.
